Jessica F. Simmons

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — Later this week, the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, one of eight North Carolina state-recognized Indian tribes, will receive a statewide nomination recognizing its efforts in preserving history, culture and traditions through rebuilding the Occaneechi Replica Village in Hillsborough.

The replica village is a reconstruction of a 17th century Occaneechi village, owned by Orange County, and serves as a tangible representation of the OBSN ancestral heritage. It provides educational opportunities for both tribal members and the broader community to learn about Indigenous culture such as traditional cooking demonstrations, ribbon skirt and pine needle basket making and history lectures.

The nomination comes from the Alliance of Historic Hillsborough, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the history and integrity of Hillsborough. The alliance will nominate the OBSN for the Minnette C. Duffy Landscape Preservation Award that is presented by the Preservation North Carolina, North Carolina’s only private nonprofit statewide historic preservation organization.

According to the PNC, the preservation award is the highest honor given for the preservation, restoration or maintenance specifically for landscapes, gardens, streetscapes or grounds related to historic structures. 

Amanda Boyd, director of the alliance, said the OBSN’s dedication deserves recognition in so many ways. She said the village is a critical and tangible place people can go to not only learn about Indigenous culture, but to experience it too.

“I think the village is a really good representation of all the work they do from their Powwows, [a large Native American cultural gathering], to them participating in smaller scales – educational events where they do speaking engagements or when they travel around… they are just so involved in the different facets of our community,” Boyd said. “I think it is all encompassed into what the village represents, which is a place to come and learn about their ancestors and their culture.”

The replica village is the second village collaboration between the OBSN, the alliance, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Research Laboratories of Archaeology, the Town of Hillsborough and Orange County.

Between 1680 and 1710, Orange County was home to the OBSN. Now, the tribe holds over 2,000 members who mostly live in Alamance and Orange County. The replica site is located along the Riverwalk Greenway, the Eno River and is near the location where the OBSN originally had a village over 400 years ago. 

In the late 1990s, members of the OBSN began constructing the first replica village under the leadership of John “Blackfeather” Jeffries, a member of the tribe who died in 2023. However, due to weather conditions over the years, the replica village became difficult to maintain and was later taken down. The new replica village was rededicated in April 2022.

Beverly “Dancing Bear” Payne, organizer of the replica village building efforts and a tribal council member of the OBSN said she found out about the nomination in late February. She said she is thankful for the support the OBSN has received in general and towards the nomination.

“I think that it’s wonderful – the people who take their time to write letters in support of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation because right now, the village would be nothing without our friends and especially the volunteers that work there,” Payne said.

The replica village was made by 23 community volunteers, whom Payne refers to as her “village people” and continues to be updated by them every other week. The volunteers have created four at’hi, or huts, and several workstations and fireplaces made of cedar, leather and grass hatching. The site is surrounded by a protective fence of large sharpened cedar poles, also known as a palisade, to keep children and small animals from escaping the village.

On March 25, the town of Hillsborough’s board of commissioners approved a letter written by Mark Bell, mayor of Hillsborough and one of the village volunteers, recognizing the OBSN for its work regarding the replica village.

In the letter, Bell said the OBSN’s commitment to honoring their ancestors while embracing the evolving needs of the community inspires them all. He said he considers the replica village to be a hidden gem since many people go to the Eno River Farmers Market and not the replica village that is only a few hundred feet away.

Kathleen Ferguson, a Hillsborough commissioner, said the letter was significant and that the nomination to the tribe and the village is fabulous. She said really hopes to see this award come through.

“The more recognition that we can give it, the better. The Occaneechi, of course, were our original residents and have been an important part of our community since their arrival here,” Ferguson said. “And I don’t think you can help but be interested and learn something at the site. It’s a beautiful, respectful testament and celebration of the Occneechi.”

The winner of the award will receive a plaque and $500 stipend. Payne said the money will be used to buy more building material and to create more directional and respectful signage at the site.

“I think that we desperately need signage. In the village itself, there will be signs talking about each structure and also asking people not to just to not move anything,” Payne said. “There’s a sign on Margaret lane showing how to get to the village, but there’s not a sign on Church Street. So how do people know how to get to the village?”

Recently, the deadline for the award nomination has been extended from March 31 to April 22. The winner will be announced later in the year.